Donation

In some sterility cases the indication is to change the gametes of the couple. This could imply the eggs, the sperm or both. The recommended treatment, if the patient’s own eggs or sperm cannot be used is donation. The gametes used for treatments derive from donors who meet all legal necessities established by law in order to be able to donater.

Egg donation

What is egg donation?

Egg donation is an assisted reproduction treatment in which eggs from a donor are fertilised in the laboratory, with the sperm from the partner or a donor.

The egg donation consists of three phases:

Synchronization with the donor

Preparation of the endometrium

In Vitro Fertilisation of the donor eggs and embryo transfer afterwards

When is egg donation recommended?

Egg donation is indicated if the woman cannot achieve pregnancy with her own eggs. Frequent causes are:

Advanced age

Low egg quality

Low ovarian reserve after repeatedly failing IVFs

Genetic diseases

Which tests are necessary for egg donation?

To carry out egg donation the following tests are necessary:

Gynecological ultrasound to exclude a pathology in the uterus or ovaries

Spermiogram to evaluate the quality of the sample. If the sperm quality is very low it will be necessary to amplify the andrological studies with additional tests

Karyotype to exclude genetic abnormalities which might affect the embryo

Serologies to exclude the presence of transmittable infectious disease.

How long takes an egg donation treatment?

Within one month the treatment can be finalized.

How often do I have to come to the clinic during the egg donation?

For egg donation it is necessary to attend the clinic twice. The first time for organizing the cycle and to freeze a sperm sample if necessary. The second time for the embryo transfer.

During the treatment an ultrasound control for the endometrium will be made at your own doctor’s practice.

A mother thanks to egg donation

Who are the egg donors?

Egg donors are young women between 18 and 35 years in excellent physical and mental health. To become a donor they will have to pass through a series of tests, which include studies of their personal and family record, psychological evaluation, general and gynecological exploration and blood tests to exclude possible infectious diseases and to carry out the necessary genetic testing.

How can we improve the selection of the donor?

With the aim of offering the highest quality treatments, Barcelona IVF applies to its donors a genetic test to rule out serious hereditary diseases.

Everyone is at risk for a genetic disease even without a family history. Diseases like Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Fragile X Syndrome appear in about 1-2 cases per 8000 born children so we must take them into account when making a reproductive approach. Less common diseases such as Thalassemia, Gaucher's Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and many others, also merit consideration by the severity of its prognosis.

Applying the genetic test to the donor and the father, we can detect genetic alterations that can develop up to a total of 250 diseases, so that we almost entirely eliminate the risk of having a child with one of these diseases.

How is my egg donor chosen?

The assignation of a donor is made by a specialized medical team and according to the physical characteristics of the patients and their blood groups. This task is of tremendous responsibility and therefore every process of assignation considers the singularity of each case.

Which information do I get about the egg donor?

In Spain egg donation is anonymous which protects both, the identity of the donor as well as the patients’ and their offspring. Nevertheless, it is possible to receive general information about the donor, such as her physical aspects, blood group and age. At Barcelona IVF we also share characteristics of the donor with you, which are related to her hobbies, personality and the reason why she donated.

Why is the synchronization with the donor necessary?

For egg donation treatment it is important that donor and patient initiate their cycle at the same time to ensure that the patient’s uterus is prepared when the embryos are ready for transfer. This period takes approx. two to three weeks.

How do I prepare my endometrium?

To have the endometrium prepared for embryo transfer a hormonal replacement treatment is necessary. The treatment starts with estrogens and the correct development of the endometrium needs to be monitored via vaginal ultrasound. Once the eggs are retrieved from the donor, progesterone will be added to ensure the endometrium is receptive on the day of embryo transfer.

How are the embryos obtained?

The embryos are obtained through In Vitro Fertilisation of the donated eggs with the partner’s sperm or donated sperm. These embryos are kept in culture in the laboratory for five days until their transfer.

How are the embryos transferred?

The embryo transfer is a simple procedure which neither requires a hospital stay nor anesthesia. The catheter is introduced into the uterine cavity via the cervix to place the embryos right inside the uterus. Usually one to two embryos are transferred but currently the trend goes towards transferring only a single embryo in order to reduce the risk of a multiple pregnancy.

What happens to the unused embryos?

If after the embryo transfer more embryos of good quality are left over, they will be frozen.

Can I live a normal life during the egg donation?

Yes, until the day of transfer. On this particular day it is recommended to rest and from then on you should lead a calm life avoiding bigger efforts. There is no inconvenience regarding travelling after the embryo transfer.

Can I do something to improve my chances after the embryo transfer?

It is very common to ask oneself what to do after the transfer to increase chances for a pregnancy. There is nothing additional one can do to increase the probabilities for a pregnancy apart from waiting for the embryos to implant correctly and pursue a normal and relaxed lifestyle.

Is there a limit to egg donation attempts?

There is no limit to the number of egg donation treatments but usually 90% of the patients become pregnant within the first three attempts of egg donation cycles.

Success rates with egg donatio

The egg donation is the sterility treatment with the highest success rates due to using donor eggs from young women without any sterility problems. Thanks to the good pregnancy rates it can be considered to perform a single embryo transfer which avoids the risk of multiple pregnancy.See results

Risks of egg donation

The main risk of egg donation is a multiple pregnancy if more than one embryo is transferred. Currently and due to the very good results from long culture and blastocyst embryos, many couples decide to transfer only one embryo to avoid a twin pregnancy.

Sperm Donation

What is sperm donation?

Sperm donation consists of using sperm originally from a donor in any of the assisted reproduction treatments: artificial insemination, IVF or egg donation.

When is it recommended?

Sperm donation is indicated in the following cases:

Sperm quality not sufficient for use

Genetic diseases

No male partner

Who are the sperm donors?

Sperm donors are young men in excellent physical and mental health. To become a sperm donor you will have to pass a series of tests, which include studies of their personal and family record, psychological evaluation, andrological exploration and blood tests to exclude possible infectious diseases and to carry out the necessary genetic testing. To become a sperm donor it is not sufficient to have a normal spermiogram but the sample needs to have a very good recuperation capacity and good survival rates after thawing.

How is my sperm donor chosen?

The assignation of a sperm donor is made by a specialized medical team and according to the physical characteristics of the patients and their blood groups. This task is of tremendous responsibility and therefore every process of assignation considers the singularity of each case.

Which information do I get about the sperm donor?

In Spain sperm donation is anonymous which protects the identity of the donor as well as of the patients’ and their offspring. Nevertheless, it is possible to receive general information about the donor, such as his physical aspects, blood group and age.

Embryo donation

What is embryo donation?

Embryo donation is a treatment in which the woman receives legally donated embryos from couples not desiring more children.

When is embryo donation recommended?

Embryo donation is recommended for those who need to use gamete donation and for ethical reasons prefer using donated embryos.

Which tests are necessary for embryo donation?

To carry out embryo donation the following tests are necessary:

Gynecological ultrasound to exclude a pathology in the uterus or ovaries

Serologies to exclude the presence of transmittable infectious disease.

Who are the donors?

In order to donate an embryo for reproductive destination it must come from a couple in which both parties meet all legal necessities to be considered as donors.

How is the embryo donation done?

The transfer of donated embryos only requires a good development of the woman’s endometrium. Therefore an oral or transdermal hormone treatment is applied which starts at the beginning of her cycle. Some days later the correct preparation of the endometrium is confirmed and the embryo transfer organized. The embryos are thawed on the day of their transfer.

Success rates for embryo transfer

The success rates for embryo donation are equivalent to those of frozen embryo transfers, which are above 40%.

and that is why we offer a personalized assistance during the whole process. We maintain a close and trusting relationship with our patients to reduce stress and emtional baggage that occurs during the treatment. Since the first contact with the clinic, patients will have a doctor and a personal assistant who will follow the whole fertility tratment and who will solve all their doubts. Our goal goes beyond gettin a pregnancy, we want out patients to feel accompained at every moment.